Archives for July 2014

• BMW to Recall 1.6 Million Cars – WSJ: BMW said it will recall about 1.6 million cars of its 3 Series worldwide, part of an initiative to replace passenger-side front airbags affecting seven major automakers.
• GERMANY: BMW replacing 1.6m E46 3-series passenger airbags – Just-auto: After recently being asked by US agency NHTSA to check airbags on older 3-series sold in high-humidity markets, BMW has now said it would replace passenger airbags on 1.6 million E46 3 Series vehicles produced between May 1999 and August 2006, extending a smaller recall campaign run in 2013.
• BMW to recall 1.6 million cars worldwide for airbag concerns – Reuters: German automaker BMW said on Wednesday it is recalling about 1.6 million cars worldwide to replace passenger-side front airbags made by Takata Corp 7312.T because the inflators could break apart during deployment and injure passengers.
• CHINA: BMW plans 400,000 local cars a year – Just-auto: BMW plans to raise capacity at its two Chinese factories to 400,000 cars over the next two years, finance chief Friedrich Eichiner has said.
• Tesla asks hackers at Beijing contest to report vulnerabilities – Automotive News: Tesla Motors, whose Model S sedan is the target of a hacking contest in Beijing starting today, said it will investigate and rectify any vulnerabilities discovered as a result of the competition.
• BMW to recall 1.6 million 1999-2006 3-series cars to replace airbags – Automotive News: BMW will recall around 1.6 million cars — including about 574,000 in the United States — to replace passenger-side front airbags because of potential problems involving rupturing inflators.
• Government to make crash test mandatory in India – Via Google News: Safety is a big issue when it comes to the automobile industry, particularly in India, and despite that, a majority of cars sold in the market are not up to …
• Toyota delays delivery of 23,000 vehicles covered by neighbor’s tar, soot – Automotive News: Toyota has to delay delivery of thousands of vehicles, including some 20,000 for export, because it has to clean up a mess left by a neighbor.
• Tesla confirms lower-priced Model III will go on sale in ’16 or ’17 – Automotive News: Tesla Motors said Tuesday that its lower-priced successor to the Model S sedan and Model X crossover, expected to go on sale in 2016 or 2017, will be named the Model III.
• Daimler to unveil new Smart 4- and 2-seat cars – Automotive News: The new-generation Smart ForFour and ForTwo will be unveiled today. The arrival of the ForFour gives the Daimler subsidiary a second model in its portfolio for the first time since 2006.
• More Magnesium in Japanese Auto-Parts Makers’ Mix – Wards: A Japan Magnesium Assn. official predicts demand will grow 3% to 4% over the next five years thanks to a new alloy mix incorporating calcium, making it possible to die-cast magnesium components on the same line as aluminum parts.
• Peugeot reveals Hybrid Air driven car (VIDEO) – Via Google News: The hybrid air system adds around 100kg to the weight of a conventional car; around half the amount of an electric battery powered hybrid system.

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• VW to invest $900 mln in Tennessee plant to build mid-sized SUV – Reuters: Volkswagen AG said on Monday it would invest about $900 million to build a mid-sized SUV at its U.S. plant in Tennessee starting in late 2016, nearly doubling the factory’s work force.
• Nissan Small Sports Car, Next-Gen Cube Up in Air – Wards: A production, rear-wheel-drive small sports car is difficult for the automaker to bring to fruition, a company official says, as its current RWD platforms underpin expensive models.
• Fiat Has More Trouble Selling Cars – Via Google News: Among all major car makes sold in America, Fiat had the highest number of days to turn at 122 in June, according to research operation Edmunds.
• Mercedes S65 AMG coupe to cost £183k – Autocar: V12-powered S-class coupé to cost £183,065 when order books open this week, with first deliveries towards the end of this year.
• Hyundai Weighing Consumer Response to ’15 Sonata – Wards: “The feedback we get is that the car looks conservative when you see it in pictures but looks better in person,” says Mike O’Brien, vice president-corporate and product planning.
• Mobile Security Experts Race to Out-gun Highway Hackers – thedetroitbureau.com: You’re heading to work in your autonomous vehicle, but instead of turning onto the freeway, the car veers to into a dangerous neighborhood. A scene straight out a sci-fi movie for some, but a possible reality for security experts working to secure vehicles that are ever-more vulnerable to hackers.
• BMW 1-series facelift to launch in 2015 – Autocar: Changes to the 1-series hatchback focus on new front and rear-end design, with cabin improvements also expected.
• DATSUN ARRIVES IN RUSSIA – Nissan:

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• Infiniti Motor President Resigns – WSJ: Johan de Nysschen, president of Infiniti Motor, the luxury-car division of Nissan Motor, has resigned, a company spokesman confirmed.
• New Ford Mustang will Officially arrive in China in 2015 – CarNewsChina.com: Ford will finally sell the Mustang in China. Exports will start next year. The Ford Mustang is mighty popular in China but only available via the gray dealer-to-dealer market. The official Ford Mustang is scheduled for launch on the Chinese auto market in the first quarter of 2015
• Nissan premium brand Infiniti says chief de Nysschen to leave – Reuters: The chief of Nissan Motor Co’s premium brand Infiniti, Johan de Nysschen, is leaving two years after he joined the Japanese carmaker, a spokeswoman said on Friday.
• VW Outsells GM in China to Remain on Track for Repeat Sales Win – Via Google News: Volkswagen Cross Lavida car is on display during the 11th China (Guangzhou) International Automobile Exhibition at China Import and Export Fair …
• Infiniti boss de Nysschen leaving Nissan’s luxury brand – Automotive News: Johan de Nysschen, the former Audi executive lured away in 2012 by Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn to jumpstart the Infiniti luxury brand, is leaving the Japanese carmaker.
• Car Loans Gain Traction in China – WSJ:Auto makers such as VW, Ford and Daimler increasingly provide financing to new car buyers in China and the development is helping them gain market share over domestic rivals.
• UAW forming local to represent VW workers in Tennessee – DetN: The United Auto Workers union announced Thursday it is establishing a local chapter in Chattanooga, Tenn., to represent Volkswagen AG workers — even though workers narrowly voted against creating a German-style works council in February.
• GM taps Cadillac chief to run public policy – DetN: General MotorsCo. formally announced Thursday it was naming its Cadillac chief — and former top lobbyist — to again head its global public policy operations — more than three months after he began heading up the Detroit automaker’s response to the ignition switchcrisis in Washington.
• Maserati could benefit from Chrysler minority dealer program, exec says – Automotive News: A Chrysler Group minority dealer development program can help diversify Maserati’s dealer network, the head of both companies’ dealer networks said Thursday.
• Why Mexico Is Speeding Past Brazil in Cars – Via Google News: Remember in the 1990s when some Cassandras feared the North American Free Trade Agreement would someday help Mexico eclipse car …
• Auto union forms branch for workers at VW plant in Tennessee – Reuters:The United Auto Workers on Thursday announced the formation of a local union in Tennessee for workers at a Chattanooga Volkswagen AG plant, reasserting itself at the site of a major defeat for the union earlier this year.
• Good Times for Auto Industry Coming to an End – thedetroitbureau.com: Automakers and dealers better enjoy the good times while they last because car sales are going to begin sliding, according to a new study put out by AlixPartners. The era of cheap credit is over and of disinterested drivers has begun: a perfect storm for a sharp decline in auto sales.
• Bill Ford op-ed argues we can’t just build and sell more of the same cars – Via Google News: It’s hardly a secret that the auto industry is undergoing an enormous, tectonic shift in the way it thinks, builds cars and does business. Between …
• GM moves Cadillac chief Ferguson back to chief lobbying role – Automotive News: Bob Ferguson, the head of Cadillac since October 2012, is returning to his previous position as GM’s top government lobbyist, effective immediately.
• The 2015 Hyundai Genesis And An Empty Car Convoy – Via Google News: Hyundai arranged a demonstration of its autonomous cars on a test track in California. It’s quite an impressive sight, watching the cars follow each …
• GERMANY: VW brand records a new half year high – Just-auto: More than 3m Volkswagen brand passenger cars were delivered in the first half year, a new record.
• UK: Rolls-Royce retains super-luxury leadership – Just-auto: Rolls-Royce had a record first half-year with sales up 33% worldwide compared with the same period in 2013.
• Bits Blog: Taxi Commission Blocks Lyft’s Entry Into New York City – NY Times: The ride-summoning service had planned to start service in New York on Friday, but regulators said they were concerned about the screening of drivers.
• JAPAN: Honda recalls hybrids in Japan – Just-auto: Honda is recalling some 175,000 hybrid vehicles in Japan including the Fit, over a software problem in engine control units.

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• In entry-premium car race, Audi A3 gives Mercedes CLA a run for its money – Automotive News: Audi is closing in on Mercedes-Benz in the small but crucial market for premium cars priced that start below $30,000.
• SOUTH KOREA: Renault Samsung’s labour union to go on strike – Just-auto: Renault Samsung Motors’ labour union’s decision to go on a strike might hurt the company significantly, reports Business Korea.
• GM Korea workers vote to strike as wage talks continue – Automotive News: GM’s South Korean workers today voted to go on strike over salaries and production volume, signaling tough annual wage talks for automakers already grappling with falling earnings because of the stronger won.
• Shale boom confounds forecasts as U.S. set to pass Russia, Saudi Arabia – Reuters: Four years into the shale revolution, the U.S. is on track to pass Russia and Saudi Arabia as the world’s largest producer of crude oil, most analysts agree. When that happens and by how much, though, has produced disparate estimates that depend on uncertain factors ranging from progress in drilling technology to the availability of financing and the price of oil itself.
• GM Korea workers approve strike as wage talks stall – Reuters: General Motors’ South Korean workers on Wednesday voted to go on strike over salaries and production volume, signalling tough annual wage talks for automakers already grappling with falling earnings due to the stronger won.
• Japan carmakers lead fuel cell drive – FT: The country’s manufacturers, supported by government initiatives and subsidies, are going further and faster in making fuel cell vehicles commercially viable
• Delphi CEO to be on U.S. Senate panel hot seat in GM probe – Reuters: The head of Delphi Automotive Plc, maker of ignition switches linked to at least 16 fatal car crashes, is expected to face intensive questioning next week from a U.S. Senate panel investigating General Motors Co’ handling of the issue.
• New Vauxhall Corsa revealed – plus exclusive studio pictures – Autocar: Vauxhall’s new supermini will go on sale in October, priced from under £10,000, as the Luton-based manufacturer guns for the Ford Fiesta’s title as the UK’s best-selling car.
• Third-gen Kia Sorento spotted ahead of Paris motor show debut – Autocar: New Sorento SUV gets major restyle and Cross GT-inspired front grille, and could be offered with a hybrid powertrainKia’s third-generation Sorento SUV has been spotted testing ahead of a planned public debut at the Paris motor show in October.
• Wheelies: The Next-Generation Toyobaru Edition – NY Times: Subaru says it will build a next-generation BRZ sports coupe; Manchester United, a British soccer team, will wear Chevrolet bow ties on its jerseys.
• Retail demand, favorable credit keep wholesale used-vehicle prices high – Automotive News: Wholesale prices of used vehicles in June fell 1 percent from the previous month’s level but were 4 percent higher than in June 2013, according to the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index released today.
• Delphi CEO summoned to Capitol Hill on GM recall – Automotive News: Delphi Automotive, which supplied the faulty ignition switch at the center of General Motors’ safety crisis, will join GM on Capitol Hill’s hot seat.

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• GM, Ford Vehicle Sales Blazing in China – thedetroitbureau.com: General Motors, Ford and their joint venture partners posted record sales in China for the first half of the 2014, capping off the period with a strong showing in June. GM’s sales in China in the first six months increased 10.5% from last year’s previous record while Ford China reported a 35% increase.
• Audi joins Mercedes in narrowing BMW’s global luxury lead – Automotive News: Audi’s A3 compact sedan and Mercedes-Benz’s top-of-the-line S-class model helped the German companies narrow the sales gap with global luxury-car leader BMW in the first half of 2014.

• Limited UK allocation for hydrogen-powered Toyota FCV – Autocar: Toyota officials confirm ‘double-digit’ allocation for its fuel-cell vehicle, which will go on sale next yearToyota’s hydrogen-powered FCV will only be coming to the UK in very limited numbers when it goes on sale next year, company officials have revealed.

• ITALY: Stile Bertone declared bankrupt – Just-auto: Stile Bertone, the rump of the styling and vehicle manufacturing group founded by Giovanni Bertone, has been declared bankrupt and is for sale.
• Kaspersky Lab: Connected cars a reality, but are they secure? – Via Google News: Connected vehicles are now a reality; however, what are the risks involved when owning one? Privacy, software updates and car-oriented mobile …
• Car maker Tesla sued in China for trademark infringement – Reuters: U.S. electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc is being sued in China for trademark infringement, a surprise development that casts a shadow over CEO Elon Musk’s ambition to expand rapidly in the world’s biggest auto market.
• Record half-year sales for Rolls-Royce – Autocar: British manufacturer celebrates a 30 per cent rise in sales in the six months to the end of June, bolstered by high demand in EuropeGlobal sales for Rolls-Royce have risen by over 30 per cent in the six months to the end of June 2014, the manufacturer has revealed.
• Rolls-Royce Announces Best Ever Half-Year Sales – Via Google News: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars continues to deliver as the world’s foremost super luxury car manufacturer and we are on target for another record year in …
• Studies show a car’s computer system vulnerable to hacking (Includes first-hand account) – Via Google News: Recent news reports published by Scientific American, Car and Driver, Discovery Magazine, Technology Review, and other media outlets say it is now …
• GM Korea CEO warns of output cut as strike vote looms – Reuters: General Motors’ South Korea chief warned employees that a potential strike could lead to further production cuts in one of its major Asian manufacturing bases, according to an email sent to staff and obtained by Reuters.
• Tesla sued in China by businessman, escalating trademark dispute – Automotive News: Tesla Motors was sued in China for trademark infringement in the latest example of the difficulties foreign companies face doing business in the country.

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